Fairytales
by mistakenXsilence
Summary: Once upon a time, I yearned to be kissed. A CloudxTifa one shot. Reviews deeply appreciated!


**Fairytales**

**By mistakenXsilence**

_Once upon a time, I yearned to be kissed._

But kissed, only by my one and only love. My knight in shining armor. By that, I swore that my lips be stolen with a kiss from only him. Only he is worth, the man who captured my heart the moment he had sworn a pledge of a lifetime. A pledge that offered his very life and self to me.

No other pledge can ever compare to such.

Through those years without him, I found myself falling in love, the memory of the night burnt in my memory like a scar. Time seemed to have gone by far too slowly, or far too quick, and life itself had lost its colors and meaning as I waited each day for his return.

And I, had left my lips untouched by no other, so that one day, when the time is right, he could claim what's his.

* * *

_Once upon a time, I was tempted to give my lips away._

I had been bitter, alone, and depressed that night. My knight, though he promised an oath so sacred, was nowhere in sight. He had been off to reminisce a memory, a soul, whom I believed he loved more dearly than me.

And I would not compete.

For why should I, Tifa Lockheart, the women whom most men desired in lust, allow myself be crushed and be broken by a mere soldier that had numerously failed to be my knight in shining armor?

I believed I could do so much better. And so I crossed the line of what I called sanity.

I, of course, even as depressed as I had been, made sure that the kids were safely distanced away from me for the night, off with their uncle Barrett. And there, when I was finally free to do as I wished, no matter how wrong, how improper, I had allowed myself to drown in my own sorrow.

Instead of catering to my customers, I had decided to join them. 7th Heaven that night had been filled with deep rhythmic tempos as music, with bright, multi-colored lights I had refused to lit up until then. It was a place of chaos, where all the sad and bitter alike gathered to share their bitterness to the world. But only with mounds of booze and shameless dancing served as an outlet for such feelings.

I had been behind the counter, after enjoying a shot full of liquid with a bitter stench that could rival my emotions. The alcohol felt satisfying as it ran through my veins. I found myself addicted to the burning feeling down my throat, and more and more I consumed the intoxicating drink.

The world was soon almost a blur, the edges of the night smudged, and I could remember enjoying the company of a handsome young man that stood behind the counter, also on the quest to woo my heart to his.

Vaguely, I remembered curls of onyx hair, and piercing sapphire eyes that I fixated my gaze on. He was gorgeous; masculine, his features all too familiar in a godly sight that could compare to the knight I swore myself to.

For what it was worth, I gladly allowed him. My better judgment had been very much off hand, and I couldn't had cared less about the world around me, or myself. I just wanted to forget. To liberate myself in rebellion from the one thing I held onto so dear.

Closer and closer, I felt his breath so near to mine. The smirk on his lips had grown wide, muttering some affectionate, lustful words at me that I could only comprehend as leaving to mingle in the bedroom upstairs. But after agreeing, I had taken another full swing of a shot, which in a twisted way, boosted my self-confidence, yet brought me farther away from my true self.

I had walked away from the bar to reach him, and he grabbed me as soon as I was free from the division of the bar. I felt him press my body to his, and bury his lips to the crook of my neck. I moaned in wretched pleasure, and slowly, his lips made it's way closer to mine, tracing my skin upwards fiercely as if in a mad craving.

My world had been slowly slipping away as he did so. But at the brink of breakdown, with his lips only a breath away, a swift flash of yellow and a loud thud had broken through my misty view. I was relieved from the sweaty heat of the man, and replaced instead by a protective, cool touch of another. I heard a sneer from a familiar voice, followed by a whimpering cry, and the loud sound of scattering footsteps.

And my mind fell black.

* * *

_Once upon a time, I was never to be kissed._

I blamed no one but myself after the incident. For days I refused to meet him in the eye, after muttering out a measly apology that he simply shrugged off and ultimately ignored. I was hurt, but I knew it was what I deserved. I did not attempt to apologize any further, for the situation explained for itself. I had been wrong, and I knew, and I was sorry.

Every night when he came home, I was faced with the situation of greeting him and serving a meal. At that point the kids would automatically scamper up to their rooms, not wanting to witness the cold and piercing aura when he and I interact. It would seem as if the chilly air of the night would enter the room, despite the lack of its chance to enter. The room would be silent; the clattering of his fork and knife, the noisy footsteps from the ceiling, and my own personal doings left to echo the awkward scene.

In the slightest way, I attempted to show my optimistic side, but as usual, his own reserved ways pushed me back away from him. Though I attempted to light up the mood, he disregarded all I brought up, speaking as less as he could. Conversations were reduced to replies, replies were reduced to grunts, and grunts were reduced to nods. Every night. A growing rift.

Which I eventually accepted as his way of unforgiving me for what I had done. He would speak to me in his own time, and I dreaded that the day of my first kiss grew farther away.

Or would even come at all.

Because sometimes, knights in shining armor don't always arrive.

* * *

_Once upon a time, I was kissed._

It was what I believed to be another night to stretch the rift between us. On schedule, I heard the dying growl of my knight's stead as he parked the beloved Fenrir outside the house. Instinctively, Denzel and Marlene left the room in a feeble excuse, and I would serve the food on the table, and make my way to the counter of the bar that I itched to swipe clean once more.

I frowned to myself as I absentmindedly watched my own reflection on the marble countertop, hearing his quick strides and heavy footsteps enter my home. I felt that he was in an unfriendly mood, and would again, lengthen my distance from him.

Thought it was the opposite.

I had never been so close to him in my entire life. I was caught off guard, expecting him to do the expected and didn't, and thus, I was alarmed. Time was not by my side at that moment, and I was given none to react.

For the next thing I knew, my knight in shining armor swept me off my feet, and finally took my lips with his.

It was the moment of all moments, the memory of all memories, the kiss of all kisses.

He released me from his heavenly grip, and I was left breathless. I only managed to utter one word.

"Why…?"

He looked at me with such longing. For the first time in my life, I caught no sight of confusion in his eyes. The thought gave me a shiver, and I prepared myself for a moment that was sure to overwhelm me, _if_ he was off to say the words I would have died to hear.

"I don't care."

"You...what?" I asked incredulously, not understanding.

"I love you. Even if you don't feel the same. It's my fault. I let you go, and-"

"Stop it." I hushed him, tears spilling from my eyes with his touching words. "Don't speak."

I pulled him in to another kiss, and all was left unsaid and done.

* * *

_Once upon a time, my knight had finally come to stay._

* * *

**Author's Notes: The ending feels… like something's missing? I tried not to go for cliché, and maybe that just made it worse since it seems incomplete to me. Why did Cloud kiss Tifa? Why did he mean to say? I feel that if I add a long conversation it might become somewhat unrealistic because I can't imagine Cloud saying a speech about love. But without it, it seems incomplete.**

**This started out as a drabble; maybe some cute little fic about Tifa's thoughts of being a princess waiting for her knight. But then it turned out like this, and maybe, just maybe, I might make a multiple chapter story following this plot line. So now we'll know what's inside Cloud's mind, and he'll finally get a kick in the ass that most of us want to see. Seems interesting? Does my writing seem bad? Tell me!**

**Please read and review!**


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